The kids are going back to school and we can finally breathe again… or can we?
The thing is, the school holidays, especially the long Summer break, is a great time of year – especially if you get some time off too. No one gets out of their pyjamas. Most of the house sleeps in. You give up the desire to have a clean house as the kids just mess it up having fun minutes later. Your self presentation gets left at the door with your bra, shoes and hair brush. You literally wake up, put on comfy house clothes, tie your hair up without brushing it, and just spend time with your kids. It’s bliss.
You don’t have to navigate the stressful morning routine of ‘go, go, go” telling everyone like a drill sergeant to eat breakfast, get dressed, pack your lunch, get your shoes on and constantly telling everyone to “Hurry up we’re running laaaaate”. If this fun routine is not enough to start your day off with joy, you then get to navigate the extra traffic and the “wait and get irate” zone at school to find out someone left something behind and you lose another 30 minutes of your day going home and bringing it back.
Then, you get a few things done in your day as the superhero you are, you blink a few times and then boom – it’s off again through the traffic, back into the “wait and get irate” zone to pick up your tired, hungry children to enjoy the afternoon routine of activities, homework, and getting ready for bed and yelling “go to sleep” after your child has made their 15th hop out of bed since you’ve tucked them in. Then guess what – you get to do it all again tomorrow.
Don’t they say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? Well folks, welcome to parenthood!
I can literally be the most organised parent on the planet. I can meal prep on Sunday so that easy breakfasts, lunches, snacks and dinners are ready to go. I can organise everything so that everyone’s belongings are in one space so that it’s easier to start your day. We can have rosters, routines, and lists so that everyone is responsible for themselves and on paper it looks amazing. As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail right? Well I am sorry inspirational humans that tell us this stuff, yes planning helps… but parenting hack #1 – there are no hacks, children don’t listen – good luck, this is your life now, the end.
So my friends, remember those Summer days where the rain kept us indoors with no plan being a good plan, and try your best to keep your cool as you get the family back into routine. If yours is anything like my family, it will take all term, then they’ll have time off again for the holidays and it’s back to square one! Parenthood is the definition of insanity, but it’s all worth it in the end.
